Man of Steel (2013)

I gave this movie a 4.5 out of 5 stars both here and on Rotten Tomatoes, as a percentage like they used to do I would put mine at a solid 90% even though it sits much lower. Don’t believe it, it’s fantastic. Not perfect but very good.

Epic is the first word that comes to mind when I watched this. It has a longer runtime but flew by and was over before I even blinked it seemed. The time went by that fast because I was so drawn in. Also I t must be known that I have been waiting for this movie my entire life really, but realistically for about a year and half. It involves two of my favorite people in Hollywoodland right now doing it and it is one of my most loved childhood movie series even though some mis steps like this happened along the way

But all that aside I have been pretty pumped for this film to hit so it took me a bit to come up with a fair and difinitve review with out any spoilers so enjoy. IF you are a fanboy you will be split they did some things to the mythos that might drive purists crazy. So without further adieu

Epic, Powerful, monumental, yep all those apply. Zack Snyder managed to do something very super. He brought Kal-El aka Superman back into the mainstream with grandiose fashion. While it will surely divide hardcore fanboys with some liberties it took with the mythos of the Superman cannon, it also made THE definitive Superman film for the ages. Gone is the camp and serious as a heart attack, Man of Steel is not really a superhero film at all, it is more a Sci-Fi story leading into what will be Superhero movies in the future most likely. Also this is a Zack Snyder film set inside Christopher Nolan’s universe. The action is epic, the visuals will drop your jaw and it will stay dropped for a hot minute as the action is plentiful, at times it seems at the expense of a more complete story. Cavill and Adams played their parts wonderfully and Zod wasn’t the traditional sort, but I very much enjoyed the new backstory created for him. The supporting cast was outstanding Russell Crowe even used his Maxiumus voice. Kevein Costner was a standout, he has been great lately in all his recent stuff. And even Larry Fishburne turned in a pretty food performance as well. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Christppher Meloni in here, I am a big fan and he was highly excellent in this film. In the end, I only have a couple of nitpicks and while the script was good it would prove to be its only kryptonite as it could have been more rich in backstory and less on action. Also While I LOVE both Snyder and Nolan I wish that it would have just been one director, as a producer Nolan’s finger was on almost as much of this film as the actual director in Zack Snyder. Those issues kept the film from being a perfect 5 for me, but overall Man of Steel is a grand achievement. Man of Steel makes you happy and excited to be a Superman fan again. It is indeed the Superman film you’ve long wanted for. See it on the Biggest and loudest screen you can this is the type of film that movie theatres were made for! The Dark Knight has been and still is the Benchmark film that I compare all other Comic book/Superhero films to, as is Ledger's Joker! What I can say is I did not like this as much as Dark Knight but I hold it up close in the same territory. They present a new way to achieve greatness in a subject matter that most do not take seriously and now they will have to take Kal-El seriously too, and for that I am grateful, Its about damn time Superman got to share some of the limelight.

Django Unchained (2012)

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars and a 100% of Rotton Tomatoes and it was easily my favorite film of 2012

Django Unchained is my second favorite Quentin Tarantino film, and that’s saying A LOT! Everybody loves a good revenge flick. I don’t know perhaps it’s human nature but it sure is rewarding to see bad people get dealt with. Tarantino knows this and uses it well. The set up and payoff is absolutely awesome to watch unfold on screen. Westerns are usually a typical story that’s been done over and over again and Django really is no different at its core. The difference or X factor to use a term a hate is Tarantino himself. He as a director has isms, and all of his isms are in full effect, old school graphic overlays and credits, witty banter, extreme and glorified violence and perfect use of soundtrack and awkward humor to name a few, only instead it’s a western story. However it’s a western story with a visual flair touched up with QT’s supreme dialogue and other ism’s. I don’t use the term glorified violence lightly either it is a very violent and bloody film. It’s not a comedy but multiple times had me laughing louder than everyone in the theatre. One exchange almost left in tears I was laughing so hard.  Production values are off the charts the actors are ALL so good. Tarantino knows how to get the very best work out of actors in every single movie he does and Django is no different. Christoph Waltz deserves and might get another Oscar nomination for his brilliant work in Django. He probably won’t win (Those Lincoln actors were just too good) but the nomination should be a lock, Jaime Fox also a very excellent and fun performance and Leo Dicaprio in a supporting role with QT’s dialogue driving him to new heights of character acting, it’s one of the most different characters Leo has ever played and Sam Jackson’s tole is one I won’t forget for years! It doesn’t stop there however he manages to heighten and tell the story even further through his absolute brilliant use of soundtrack. QT has always had a more than awesome soundtrack and this is the best one for a film since Pulp Fiction. This movie must be seen by any fan of Tarantino and any fan of film itself because love it or hate there is nothing like it, especially in this genre and it will most likely never be seen again. What a brilliant genius of a movie maker Tarantino is and this shows why when he releases a film every 4 or five years or so people must stop and take notice he has not lost a single spring in his step in fact he seems to have stepped up his game! Total 5 out of 5 stars and an absolute must see Simps pick of the highest recommendation.

Flight (2012)

I gave this movie 3.5 Stars out of 5 and I rate it at about 75% on Rotton Tomatos.

Flight was a good movie. I did not find it to be a great movie but it was still very good. It was mis marketed though in my opinion the movie was not really what it claimed to be. It’s not so much about a crazy plane crashed that was landed mostly safely in a miraculous way by a great pilot, it was more a harrowing story about a man who is struggling with addiction, being a bad person, and overcoming one’s personal demons. It was a very serious film whereas the trailer plays it up as a fun flick about a crazy plane crash. Also it touts John Goodman as one of its main cast and he is a HUGE favorite of mine. Problem is that sadly he was only in two scenes and they happen to be the best scenes in the movie and it was solely because of him. Denzel was also great as he usually is but again not quite the performance the commercials are saying. I did not find it to be his most compelling performance in years. In fact he did a lot of actor ticks or ism’s if you will and it was weird. For example multiple times throughout the film he does this weird thing with his lounge where he put it into the side of his cheek and moved it around and sometimes, it was strange and noticeable and took me out of the storyline for moment because I wondered to myself why he was kept doing that. Sound wired to gripe about such a small thing but if you watch the movie you will see what I’m talking about. All in all though it is still a movie to be seen, it really is quite good, it’s just not really what hey market it to be and if given the choice I would most defiantly let this movie be a rental. I did not find it to be good enough to warrant movie monies or to buy it for home but most defiantly worth a rental. 3.5 Stars of 5 for me. Recommended, for rental.

Looper (2012)

Loved this flick, easily a 5 out of 5 stars. It currently sits at a 93% certified fresh staus on Rotten Tomatoes.

 

 

 

 Whoa man, Looper was pretty amazing! Easily the best Sci-Fi movie I have seen in 13 years, and possibly the best ever in the genre. The story is smart, the action is sleek, the actors are on point, the film is beautifully shot in a distopian world and that is no easy feat, It has a bit more than a touch of a Noir feel to it as well. Looper is solid and incredible from top to bottom. It also requires the audience to think and pay attention, which is a nice change from all of the mindless action films out there. Which is fine but this is first time I have had to pay attention and think about what I was watching since Inception. It's no wonder is certified fresh at a 93%, one of the higest rated movies of the year and also one of the very best. 5 out of 5 here, My Highest Recomendation! Pull the trigger on this one and catch it in theatres.

Marvel's The Avengers Blu-Ray

I rate this film a 5 out of 5 Stars and this Blu-Ray a 4.95 out of 5

I purchased my 4 disc 3D Blu Ray combo pack with bonus soundtrack download at as soon as I could get my hands on it at midnight and have already watched it twice so far. I have made it no secret that this movie was/is my favorite film of the year thus far. I love love love it for multiple reasons and the blu ray does not disappoint. It’s framed in a 1.79 aspect ratio that fills up every inch of your television no matter the size and it looks pristine. My only nitpick and it really is a nitpick is that I found some scenes to be a bit dark and some of the detail is lost but that’s about it. It also looks really really clean, and in a couple of instances Thor’s costume looked plastic and you felt like it was a movie costume as opposed to a super hero costume. Again though these are small complaints, other than that it is flawless. It also manages to really bring the thunder when it comes to the discs 7.1 DTS MA track. It literally will shake your house. Heavy on the bass and crystal clear dialogue that never gets lost in the action. Totally immersive sound. The only real disappointment was the special features or lack thereof. I tore through them in an hour and that’s being generous. Only 15 min of deleted scenes and some of them were not even finished. Still enjoyable though and two featurettes, also enjoyable but very brief. I smell the eventual double dip super special directors cut edition to come out in about six months or so. But hands down this is a must own disc and one THE must own discs of the year to go with its stance as one of if not the best movie event of the year. Summer popcorn blockbuster and genuine good flick. As stated earlier it is still my favorite movie I have seen all year. I have seen it 7 times total so far and could just as easily watch it again right now. I look forward to watching all of the phase one films in order of release here very soon. Marvels movie integration is truly revolutionary in feeding the fans frenzy for more superhero goodness and their credits snippets are always a fun edition. This Blu-ray is worth every penny and will be watched many, many times!   

Titanic (1997) Blu-Ray

Though it is a film plagued with Cliche's and saddled with a corny love story, people often forget how much of a technical marvel and an achievement in film making on the grandest scale the film Titanic is and is filmed with masterful execution. I am a fan of historical events like this, Hindenberg etc etc. So I have always enjoyed this movie, not so much the love story (which is a bit corny) but the historical aspects of the film fasinate me. And as acclaimed as the film was with its 13 Ocsar nominations (most ever) and 11 wins (tied for most ever with 2 ither film) The Blu Ray is just as much of a technical marvel. This goes into the Top 3 discs I have ever seen for video quality, love him or hate him Jim Cameron knows how to make epic grand scale films and he certainly knows how to make his movies look positivly stunning on Blu-Ray. The Blu-Ray earns my highest recomendation and a no brainer for fans of the film or the event, but I urge even the most casual of viewers to check this disc out even if no interest is had for the love story skip it forward to the second half and Hold onto your butts, because it will blow you away and leave tour jaw on the ground with them visuals.I can see how the film might not be for everybody but the Blu-Ray really is a techniacal Marvel and is not to be missed. In a word Breathtaking could be used to describe the picture quality on this 4-disc Blu-Ray set. Then add in the 5.1 DTS MA and this disc is real winner. That dow not even include the bonus content. In this set there is over 2 and hald hours of mew documentaries commentaries and featuresttes and over 6 hours of total bonus features. It's a fully loaded disc of suppliments to go along with the completely restored film. This here is what Blu-Ray is all about taking something one has already experienced and turn it into a completely new experience. You have never witnessed this film like this and its hard to imagine one will ever see it look or sound any better and at for roughly 20-22 dollars, its a steal.

Dredd 3-D

I give this movie 4.5 out of 5 Stars and was really quite taken with this film!

OK, SO Dredd is F'N Awesome! Violent to the extreme and gritty, Now that is the proper way to do a Judge Dredd reboot. A beautifully shot film with elements of Noir, while managing to feel like an art-house indy. My jaw was left a gape in more than a few scenes. Dredd is also rich in comic lore of the unstoppable Judges, features a Good villain and Bad Ass performace from Carl Urban, and is pure amped up fun. Visual effects were off the charts cool, it's rare when I try to make it point to tell people to see movies in 3-D but Dredd is worth it. ITs one of the best 3-D films I have ever seen and it creeped up and took over the spot for my 3rd favorite movie I have seen this year. Fantastic film and a damn good, rip roaring fun trip to the theatres for this one. A small warning though do not mistake this for the friendly Stalone version, when I say violent and Gritty, I mean it, this film is VIOLENT like a Dredd comic would be, younglings need to stay away from this. Very Highly recomended!